Spruce Pine in Mitchell County, North Carolina is known as “The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree,” because the town is the setting for Gloria Houston’s children book, “The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree.” Houston donated her book’s marketing rights to Mitchell County to help create income for displaced textile and furniture workers. The county has focused on developing place-based businesses and artisanal craft shops to revitalize and transform the community.

On January 6, the village of Rodanthe in the Outer Banks of North Carolina celebrates Old Christmas. This is a tradition based on when the Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian calendar, changing the date of Christmas. Part of Rodanthe’s traditional festivities is a visit from Old Buck, a character based on the legend of an old wild bull that terrorized the village until a hunter got rid of him.